Bukele mocks Abrego Garcia’s torture claims with prison highlight reel
El Salvador President Nayib Bukele has released a video highlight reel showing Kilmar Abrego Garcia apparently thriving during his imprisonment, in an attempt to refute the migrant’s claims that he was tortured while in custody.
Abrego Garcia, who a judge ruled was erroneously deported by the Trump administration to El Salvador and then returned after a court order, is seen in the video gardening, playing soccer, fishing and enjoying other leisurely activities while imprisoned in his home country.
The video appears at odds with Abrego Garcia’s claims in legal filings that he was severely beaten, deprived of sleep and psychologically tortured while detained.
Abrego Garcia was first held at the country’s Terrorism Confinement Center, or CECOT, a notorious anti-terrorism prison, in March and then transferred to a lower-security facility in Santa Ana in mid-April. Bukele does not say which prison the footage was taken from.
According to court documents, Abrego Garcia’s physical condition deteriorated quickly upon arrival at CECOT and within two weeks, he lost roughly 31 pounds.
ABREGO GARCIA SAYS HE ENDURED BEATINGS, TORTURE IN SALVADORAN PRISON AHEAD OF CRIMINAL TRIAL
But Bukele pushed back against those claims on Thursday, claiming he actually put on weight and released video evidence to refute claims of torture.
The video shows Abrego Garcia in seemingly good spirits, playing chess and soccer, working out with fellow inmates, doing gardening and relaxing while watching a widescreen television in his cell, among other leisurely activities.
“If he’d been tortured, sleep-deprived, and starved, why does he look so well in every picture?” Bukele wrote on X. “Why would he gain weight? Why are there no bruises, or even dark circles under his eyes?”
“The man wasn’t tortured, nor did he lose weight. In fact, photos show he gained weight while in detention. There’s plenty of footage from different days, including his meeting with Senator Van Hollen, who himself confirmed the man seemed fine.”
Bukele went on to rip the mainstream media for seemingly believing the claims.
TRUMP’S REMARKS COULD COME BACK TO BITE HIM IN ABREGO GARCIA DEPORTATION BATTLE
“Apparently, anything a criminal claims is accepted as truth by the mainstream media and the crumbling Western judiciary,” Bukele wrote.
Under Bukele’s state of emergency, the government has detained more than 1% of the Central American nation’s population in its war on the country’s gangs. The president has turned what was once the most dangerous country in the world — with a homicide rate of 103 per 100,000 people in 2015 — into one of the safest in the Western Hemisphere, with 1.9 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2024. The U.S. rate was 5.5 per 100,000 people in 2023, which are the most recent records available.
Hundreds of people have died in the El Salvador prisons, according to the Associated Press, citing human rights groups, which have also documented cases of torture and deteriorated conditions.
Abrego Garcia, who was living in Maryland after coming to the U.S. illegally, was deported to El Salvador in March 2025. He became a prominent face of the Democrats’ resistance to the Trump administration’s mass deportation plans.
The Trump administration accuses them of being an MS-13 gang member, a human trafficker and a serial domestic abuser amid police reports by his wife that he used violence against her.
CLICK TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Abrego Garcia’s lawyers claimed when he arrived at the prison he was immediately frog-marched to his cell by prison guards, who kicked him with boots and struck him with wooden batons along the way, leaving visible bumps and bruises across his body.
He and other detainees in the cell slept on metal mattresses, with minimal access to food and satiation. They were also forced to kneel for approximately nine hours, from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m., “with guards striking anyone who fell from exhaustion,” per the filings.
They claim he was also psychologically tortured and received threats of violence during his time at CECOT where prison guards repeatedly told him they would transfer him to other prison cells housing violent gang members, whom they assured him would “tear” him apart.
White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller said previously that when Trump declared the violent gang a terrorist organization, Abrego Garcia was no longer eligible for any form of immigration relief in the United States prompting his deportation.
As Trump celebrates America, Democrats prepare to boycott Independence Day
As President Donald Trump is preparing for Independence Day celebrations, some Democrats will be taking to the streets to protest on America’s birthday as polls indicate a decreased sense of patriotism from those on the Left.
Democrats across the country are organizing protests and boycotts on the 4th of July to make their voices heard that they do not agree with the direction the country is heading. A new Fox News poll showed that only 36% of Democrats say they are proud of the United States today, compared to 85% of Republicans expressing pride in their country. Now, in what some are calling the “No Kings 2.0” protests, Democrats are banding together in several states to lay out their grievances.
The Women’s March, whose mission is to “transform everyday women into feminists,” is calling on protesters to join their “Free America Weekend.”
TRUMP ANNOUNCES HE WILL KICK OFF INDEPENDENCE DAY WEEKEND WITH ‘VERY SPECIAL’ PATRIOTIC EVENT
“Together, we must ‘Free America’ from the grip of greedy billionaires who rig the system for themselves,” the website states. “Let’s stop the rich and powerful from gambling our future away. Free America from poverty and end the rigged system where the wealthy live large while the middle class foots the bill. Everyone should be able to afford food, rent, health care, and a decent life. Free America from arbitrary firings and a flood of unlawful orders. No one should be subjected to authoritarians overwhelming us with policies designed to spread fear and control.”
“Free America from the grip of hate and the politics of fear,” the website statement continues. “Everyone deserves to live safely, love who they love, and be treated with respect. Free America now—to protect our freedoms before they’re gone. We need fair elections, the right to vote and protest, and real justice for all.”
John Schwarz, founder of The People’s Union USA, released a video on Instagram calling for a boycott during the month of July to protest ICE arrests, among other policies, of the Trump administration.
“This is the most important boycott of the year. It’s not about politics, it’s about principle,” he said, instructing Americans to refrain from attending parades and fireworks shows. “It’s about walking away from the illusion they’ve built and reclaiming what it actually means to be free.”
Schwarz said “there is no independence to celebrate right now,” arguing the Constitution is being “trampled on.” The People’s Union USA founder has said the boycott must happen because people love America “too much to lie anymore.”
“Don’t wave a flag for a country that no longer waves it for you,” he continued. “The fourth of July is supposed to be a celebration of freedom, but what freedom are we actually talking about? The right to be watched? The right to be taxed, lied to, left behind, the right to vote between two corporate puppets? The right to work 60 hours a week and still struggle to pay rent, while billionaires dodge taxes?”
The anticipated July 4 protests mark a contrast from the president’s “America 250” initiative, which began on Memorial Day and counts down to the celebration of America’s 250th birthday on July 4, 2026.
“Task Force 250 invites citizens to have a renewed love of American history, experience the beauty of our country, and ignite a spirit of adventure and innovation that will raise our nation to new heights over the next 250 years,” the website states.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Ambassador Monica Crowley, who is chief of Protocol in the Trump administration, opened up about the year-long celebration for “the greatest nation the world has ever known” on FOX Business’ “Kudlow.”
“The objective of ‘America 250’ is to bring the country together again,” she said. “It’s to unite America based on patriotism, shared values, and this renewed sense of pride in our country. That is something that President Trump has done his entire career, but certainly since he has been president over the last 10 years and this is something, a real point of celebration over the next year as we bring this party to all Americans, both here and abroad.”
President Trump kicked off this year’s Independence Day celebration with a visit to Iowa Thursday night.
Iran’s regime confiscates phones, cuts internet as citizens face brutal new reality
In the wake of the 12-day war between Israel and Iran, the regime appears to be turning inward — escalating repression with chilling speed.
According to Kasra Aarabi, director of IRGC research at United Against Nuclear Iran, the Islamic Republic is accelerating toward what he said is a “North Korea-style model of isolation and control.”
“We’re witnessing a kind of domestic isolation that will have major consequences for the Iranian people,” Aarabi told Fox News Digital. “The regime has always been totalitarian, but the level of suppression now is unprecedented. It’s unlike anything we’ve seen before.”
SAUDI DEFENSE MINISTER SECRETLY MEETS WITH TRUMP TO DISCUSS IRAN DE-ESCALATION, ISRAEL: SOURCES
A source inside Iran confirmed to Fox News Digital that “the repression has become terrifying.”
Aarabi, who maintains direct lines of contact in Iran, described a country under siege by its own rulers. In Tehran, he described how citizens are stopped at random, their phones confiscated and searched. “If you have content deemed pro-Israel or mocking the regime, you disappear,” he said. “People are now leaving their phones at home or deleting everything before they step outside.”
This new wave of paranoia and fear, he explained, mirrors tactics seen in North Korea — where citizens vanish without explanation and information is tightly controlled. During the recent conflict, Iran’s leadership imposed a total internet blackout to isolate the population, blocking Israeli evacuation alerts, and pushed propaganda that framed Israel as targeting civilians indiscriminately.
“It was a perverse objective,” Aarabi said, adding, “They deliberately cut communications to instill fear and manipulate public perception. For four days, not a single message went through. Even Israeli evacuation alerts didn’t reach their targets.”
The regime’s aim, he said, was twofold: to keep people off the streets and erode the surprising bond that had formed between Iranians and Israelis. “At the start of the war, many Iranians welcomed the strikes,” Aarabi noted. “They knew Israel was targeting the IRGC — the very forces responsible for suppressing and killing their own people. But once the internet was cut and fear set in, some began to question what was happening.”
Dr. Afshon Ostovar, a leading Iran scholar and author of “Vanguard of the Imam: Religion, Politics, and Iran’s Revolutionary Guards,” said domestic repression remains the regime’s most reliable strategy for survival.
WHAT’S NEXT FOR IRAN’S TERROR ARMY, THE IRGC, AFTER DEVASTATING MILITARY SETBACKS?
“Repressing the people at home is easy. That’s something they can do. So it’s not unlikely that Iran could become more insular, more autocratic, more repressive — and more similar to, let’s say, a North Korea — than what it is today. That might be the only way they see to preserve the regime: by really tightening the screws on the Iranian people, to ensure that the Iranian population doesn’t try to rise up and topple the regime,” he told Fox News Digital.
Inside the regime’s power structure, the fallout from the war is just as severe. Aarabi said that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is facing an internal crisis of trust and an imminent purge. “These operations couldn’t have taken place without infiltration at the highest levels,” he said. “There’s immense pressure now to clean house.”
The next generation of IRGC officers — those who joined after 2000 — are younger, more radical and deeply indoctrinated. Over half of their training is now ideological. Aarabi said that these newer factions have begun turning on senior commanders, accusing them of being too soft on Israel or even collaborating with Mossad.
“In a twist of irony, Khamenei created these extreme ideological ranks to consolidate power — and now they’re more radical than he is,” Aarabi said. “He’s struggling to control them.”
A purge is likely, along with the rise of younger, less experienced commanders with far higher risk tolerance — a shift that could make the IRGC more volatile both domestically and internationally. With Iran’s conventional military doctrine in ruins, terrorism may become its primary lever of influence.
“The regime’s three pillars — militias, ballistic missiles, and its nuclear program — have all been decapitated or severely degraded,” Aarabi said. “That leaves only asymmetric warfare: soft-target terrorism with plausible deniability.”
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Despite the regime’s brutal turn inward, Aarabi insists this is a sign of weakness, not strength. “If the Islamic Republic were confident, it wouldn’t need to crush its people this way,” he said. “It’s acting out of fear. But until the regime’s suppressive apparatus is dismantled, the streets will remain silent — and regime change remains unlikely.”
Pentagon’s $692M stealth bomber takes flight as chiefs warn of budget cuts
The race to develop 6th-generation aircraft is no longer a future vision – it’s now a defining force behind U.S. defense strategy.
With cutting-edge platforms like the B-21 Raider, the F-47 and the Navy’s F/A-XX on the horizon, the Pentagon is reshaping how the U.S. projects airpower for the next 50 years.
These aircraft promise unprecedented advances in speed, stealth and autonomy – but they’re also colliding with budget pressures, industrial capacity limits, and an increasingly uncertain global threat environment.
B-21 Raider: A stealth legacy continues
Northrop Grumman’s B-21 Raider is poised to become the backbone of U.S. long-range strike capability. With its next-gen stealth design, reduced maintenance burden and affordability compared to its B-2 predecessor, the B-21 is seen as critical to deterring strategic threats like China and Iran.
The urgency became clear last week when seven B-2 bombers flew an 18-hour mission to Iran, dropping bunker-busting bombs on nuclear targets. While effective, the B-2’s high cost and aging systems underscore the need for its replacement. At $692 million per aircraft — compared to $2 billion for a B-2 — the B-21 offers strategic reach at a more sustainable price.
The high-tech stealth bomber can carry nuclear and conventional weapons and is designed to be optionally manned, meaning it could fly without a crew on board.
PENTAGON UNVEILS $961B BUDGET REQUEST: FUND FOR GOLDEN DOME, MISSILES AND DRONES, FEWER F-35 JETS
Flight tests are already underway at Edwards Air Force Base, with three B-21s in the air and the first units expected to achieve operational capability by 2027. The Air Force has committed to at least 100 Raiders, with internal discussions floating a potential scale-up to 200.
“What we need to consider is doubling the production capacity as rapidly as possible to bring up that inventory,” Gen. David Deptula, Dean of the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Power Studies, told Fox News Digital.
F-47 and the NGAD revival
Once stalled, the Air Force’s Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) program roared back to life this spring under a new name and a new contract. Now designated the F-47, the program – awarded to Boeing – is designed to be the most advanced manned fighter in U.S. history. Its capabilities will include stealth, extended range, speeds exceeding Mach 2 and integration with a new class of AI-enabled drones called Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA).
The F-47 will serve as the “quarterback” for a team of 1,000 CCAs, controlling them in battle and coordinating sensor and targeting data in real time.
“It’s critically important that President Trump proceeded with the manned platform for the Air Force,” said former Rep. Mike Garcia, R-Calif. “This academic debate about unmanned-only platforms is aspirational – but the networks just aren’t there yet.”
The aircraft has an ambitious timeline for initial operational capacity – within the 2025-2029 range, according to a graphic posted by Air Force chief of staff David Allvin on X.
The Pentagon is going all-in on the F-47 in the 2026 budget: requesting $3.5 billion while decreasing its request for F-35s from 74 to 47. Garcia, a former Navy pilot, emphasized that human pilots are still essential for managing the complexity of 21st-century warfare.
However, others within the Pentagon argue that manned fighters may become obsolete before the F-47 is even fully fielded.
“AI technologies are evolving far more rapidly than anyone predicted,” a former senior defense official said. “If they continue to evolve in five years… you’re on exactly the wrong path.”
A GUIDE TO THE ‘DOOMSDAY PLANE’: THE US AIRBORNE COMMAND CENTER
Deptula decried “arbitrary” budgets that were set by Congress rather than defense officials’ determination of what they need for readiness and argued the more-expensive F-47 might be able to do far more work than less elite aircraft.
“Individually, F-47 might be costlier than a previous fighter aircraft, but if it can achieve 15, 20, 30, 40 times what it would take to accomplish the particular outcome using non-stealthy or other less expensive aircraft, which one provides the most value? So that’s where the decision calculus needs to go.”
F/A-XX: Naval airpower, deliberately delayed
Unlike the Air Force, the Navy is moving slowly with its own 6th-gen project — the F/A-XX. Garcia sees this as intentional, noting that naval airframes must withstand far greater environmental challenges than their Air Force counterparts.
Officials are still unsure whether the Navy’s next-gen fighter jet, F/A-XX, will move forward at all, according to the FY 2026 budget proposal.
“Waiting for a decision from the secretary of the Navy, secretary of defense, and the president,” a defense official told reporters. “That’s an active conversation, whether to continue with the program or not.”
The program will proceed right now with “minimal funding” for design in the budget, the official said.
“Designing a naval variant of an Air Force aircraft on the same timeline? It’s impossible to do it correctly.”
Instead, the Navy is expected to borrow technology – like engines and sensors – from NGAD while building a unique carrier-capable fighter suited for saltwater, catapults and fight deck operations.
However, Garcia warned that the Navy has a deeper, under-reported problem: a shortfall in carrier-based strike fighters.
“A gold-plated 6th-gen aircraft in low quantities isn’t the answer. Slightly less capability in higher numbers is what the Navy needs.”
However, Deptula said there’s a question of whether aircraft carriers will even continue to be viable in the future.
“The question that a lot of people in the Department of Defense are asking now is what’s the viability of an aircraft carrier in a future world proliferated by hypersonic, very precise missiles with 1,500-mile-plus ranges.”
Carriers “project power” in low-threat environments, Deptula said, but “most people recognize you’re not going to put aircraft carriers close enough to use the aircraft.”
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“The Navy wants to lean in and get trillions more for sixth generation. The people that want to watch our $2 trillion deficit ought to keep that in mind here,” another former defense official said.
Top-paid lifeguards in Dem-led city earn six figures, raising taxpayer concerns
It’s not just the waves making a splash in Los Angeles this Fourth of July – lifeguards’ sky-high paychecks are turning heads, too.
According to a new report by fiscal watchdog group OpenTheBooks, at least one L.A. County lifeguard raked in more than half a million dollars last year. Meanwhile, 34 lifeguards brought in $300,000 or more during 2024, while 134 brought in at least $200,000 in base pay, overtime and other benefits.
Taxpayers in Los Angeles County are used to getting soaked, but it might be “unsettling” for some to hear how much lifeguards are being paid while the city still faces a shortage of firefighters and police, and struggles to extinguish wildfires or return violent crime to pre-pandemic levels, said OpenTheBooks CEO John Hart.
LOS ANGELES TAXPAYERS TO FOOT MILLIONS FOR ‘PEACEFUL’ ANTI-ICE PROTESTS
“Lifeguards who risk their lives protecting the public deserve to be well compensated, but paying them more than $500,000 may be unsettling to taxpayers who are drowning in debt,” Hart told Fox News Digital. “Once again, Los Angeles — a city that is struggling to extinguish fires and looting — is leading the way in lavish pay that needs to be addressed.”
L.A. County’s 134 highest-paid lifeguards earned a combined $70.8 million last year, according to OpenTheBooks — averaging over $500,000 in total compensation per person. In addition to base and overtime pay, the dollar amount also includes “other” pay, leave time payouts, health insurance payments, pension contributions, deferred contributions, long-term disability and life insurance payouts.
The highest paid lifeguard OpenTheBooks found brought in $523,351 in base pay, “other pay,” and benefits in 2024.
TRUMP’S ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ WINS SUPPORT FROM POLICE FOR OVERTIME TAX ELIMINATION
L.A. County’s lifeguard division is recognized as one of the largest professional lifeguard services in the country. According to OpenTheBooks, in addition to higher-paid lifeguards, whose duties can range from watching swimmers to major maritime rescues and emergency response, there are a slew of lower-paid lifeguards that bring the total number of them in the Los Angeles-area to around 1,500.
OpenTheBooks, which tracks wasteful spending across the government, reported in 2021 that the top-paid lifeguards in Los Angeles County earned up to $510,283 – nearly half of which was overtime pay. That year, 98 lifeguards in L.A. County made at least $200,000.
In 2024, overtime pay played a major role in boosting lifeguard earnings in Los Angeles.
Beyond Los Angeles, excessive overtime pay has sparked debate in other cities — particularly those grappling with major budget shortfalls.
In Seattle, police officers have had to be disciplined for repeatedly violating the city’s overtime policy. Per The Seattle Times, a patrol officer made more than the mayor, the police chief or any other city employee in 2019 after raking in more than $414,000.
Overtime abuse has been an issue in other major cities like New York and Chicago, as well. In Chicago, where the city faces a growing budget shortfall, records obtained by a local news outlet found that during the first six months of 2024, the city had already spent 30% more than was allocated for police overtime pay. In New York, a former department chief for the NYPD is currently under investigation for alleged overtime abuse and other crimes.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Republicans’ “big beautiful bill” is purported to help overtime workers bring home even more, with its “no tax on tips” provision. Initially, the House’s version of the bill had no limit on how much overtime pay could be exempt, but the Senate’s version of the bill capped it at $12,500.
Fox News Digital reached out to the Los Angeles County public information office for comment but did not hear back by press time.
Caitlyn Jenner’s longtime friend and manager dies in devastating Malibu accident
Caitlyn Jenner’s longtime friend and manager, Sophia Hutchins, has died at the age of 29 after she was involved in an ATV accident in Malibu, California, on Wednesday morning.
TMZ first reported the news. The outlet was informed by law enforcement and family sources that Hutchins was riding her ATV down a road where Jenner lives when she collided with the bumper of a moving car — which sent her and her ATV off the shoulder of the road, plummeting down a 350-foot ravine.
Sources told TMZ that first responders pronounced Hutchins dead on the scene. The two individuals who were in the car that Hutchins collided with were uninjured, but it is still unclear whether anyone else was harmed on the ATV.
CAITLYN JENNER, STUCK IN ISRAEL AFTER IRAN STRIKE, POSTS PICTURES OF CHAOS AND SHELTER
TMZ reported that it has reached out to Jenner concerning the incident, but did not hear back.
Hutchins and Jenner first met in 2015 after the “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” star publicly announced her transition.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF MEDIA AND CULTURE
Hutchins made appearances on several episodes of the E! docuseries “I Am Cait,” and served as CEO and director of the Caitlyn Jenner Foundation.
Born on April 1, 1996, in Bellevue, Washington, Hutchins was a 2019 Pepperdine University alumnus with a degree in economics and finance, according to Deadline. She also founded and served as the CEO of the health technology company LUMASOL.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
DNC launches aggressive attack on Trump: ‘The American dream is dying’
FIRST ON FOX — The Democratic National Committee (DNC) on Friday launched a new campaign accusing President Donald Trump of “killing the American dream”through price hikes, market volatility and the GOP-backed megabill passed by Congress.
Party officials plan to lean heavily on the message in the months ahead as they work to broaden their appeal and regain momentum ahead of the 2026 midterms.
The DNC’s messaging campaign, previewed exclusively to Fox News Digital, seeks to tie Trump directly to recent price hikes on consumer goods, such as groceries and baby food, as well as cost of living increases and insurance costs, which they argue will soar under the so-called “big beautiful bill.”
“America should be the land of opportunity but under Donald Trump, the American dream is dying,” they said Friday in an email previewed by Fox News.
The campaign will feature new memos and ads under the broader mantle of the “Trump killing the American dream” campaign, which is slated to run through December.
JUDGES V TRUMP: HERE ARE THE KEY COURT BATTLES HALTING THE WHITE HOUSE AGENDA
The initiative is part of the DNC’s broader upheaval of its messaging in the wake of the 2024 elections, which saw longtime Democrat voting blocs, including some minority voters and young people, shift towards Trump and the Republican Party.
This includes Hispanic voters, whose support for Trump nearly broke even with former Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024, according to exit poll data, as well as larger shares of registered Independent voters and young voters.
The new messaging strategy unveiled Friday focuses largely on what Democrats argue is the daylight between Trump’s campaign trail promises, contrasting his pledge to return America to a “golden age,” with the situation for many working-class Americans.
TRUMP’S ULTIMATUM TO FEDERAL WORKERS: RETURN TO OFFICE ‘OR BE TERMINATED’
It highlights expected cuts to Medicaid, food assistance programs and other community-based housing affordability programs that stand to be reduced, if not altogether eliminated, by the Republican spending bill.
“After ramming Trump’s [budget bill] through Congress, one thing is abundantly clear: Republicans own this mess, and it’s an albatross around their necks heading into the midterms,” DNC Chair Ken Martin told Fox News Digital.
“This is the least popular legislation in modern history, and the more voters learn about it the more they hate it. That’s a clear directive for Democrats — we’re going to make sure every single voter knows who is responsible for taking away their healthcare, food, hospitals, and nursing homes.”
That message is expected to be a central Democratic theme through 2026. Party officials say they’re now better positioned to make their case to voters — and that the American people, in return, are more willing to listen to them.
The launch comes on the heels of the party’s “Organizing Summer” campaign, aimed at boosting Democratic operations in battleground states. The DNC has ramped up state-level funding, voter registration and volunteer recruitment — drawing more than 15,000 volunteers to date.
Officials say they will continue to hammer their message hard in the run-up to 2026, including in 35 Republican-held congressional seats the Democratic Party’s House campaign arm has identified as “districts in play” in the 2026 election cycle, or areas where they could find a path to winning back the House majority.
Friday’s launch is not the first time the DNC has tried to tie Trump to economic pain — but past efforts have had limited success. It remains unclear whether this latest push will resonate with Independents and Republicans, who delivered sweeping victories for Trump and the GOP in 2024, especially as the economy shows signs of resilience. Just Thursday, the Labor Department reported the U.S. added 147,000 jobs in June — blowing past expectations — while unemployment ticked down to 4.1%.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
However, DNC officials insist the economic situation has changed as a result of tariff threats, volatility and unpopular legislation they see as a new opportunity to break through to voters who may have been less receptive in previous elections.
They point to a Congressional Budget Office analysis which estimates the spending bill backed by Trump will increase federal deficits by roughly $2.4 trillion over 10 years and have a knock-down impact on working-class Americans, who could see a spike in insurance costs, housing prices, and cuts to Medicaid, SNAP and education programs, including Pell grants. They also cite projections that the bill could eliminate 1.2 million jobs by 2029.
“Let’s be clear: The Trump administration has taken aim at the very things that make America the greatest country in the world,” party officials said.
“Americans are overwhelmingly rejecting his agenda, rife with buyers’ remorse. Democrats are standing with the American people, organizing everywhere, and fighting back — in Congress, in the courts, and on the ground in states across the country.”
Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House and Republican National Committee for comment.
San Diego soccer club’s opening anthem sing-along unites crowd in imperfect unity
This is a story about America. Our country.
I went to the opening day of a soccer game in my hometown of San Diego.
It was the first game in the history of our club—the San Diego Football Club—and there was a lot of hype.
MILITARY PARADE DRAWS PATRIOTIC AMERICANS FROM NEAR AND FAR: ‘NO BETTER TIME TO COME TO DC’
It was a completely sold-out game.
It was being reported by the local news and all over social media.
It was a big deal. The people of San Diego were excited for our new professional soccer team.
They had a lot of ceremonial-type activities before the game. Local politicians were there, there was a ribbon cutting, various dedications, and all the pomp and circumstance of a momentous occasion.
When the players took the field, the crowd was fully engaged.
Finally—just prior to the game—it was time for our great American tradition before a sporting event: the singing of our national anthem.
Now, this is a song that often brings tears to my eyes as I remember the hundreds of thousands of men and women throughout our history who made the ultimate sacrifice to defend our nation. And some of those countless heroes were my friends, my brothers that I lost—men who died defending our flag and our ideals.
So, as I thought about those heroes, I wondered who was going to have the solemn and sacred duty of performing The Star Spangled Banner.
I thought maybe they selected a local celebrity for the task, as there are plenty of talented musicians in San Diego who could do this powerful song justice.
Or perhaps they would have some distinguished school band or a proud church choir belt out the moving song that explains our tumultuous start as republic, captures the spirit of our flag and our people, and recognizes the sacrifice of our military servicemembers.
Then I had the hopeful idea that it might be the Navy or Marine Corps band.
The Navy and The Marine Corps are deeply rooted in San Diego and millions of Sailors and Marines have deployed from San Diego’s shores to face our nation’s enemies.
I knew it would be fitting to see our flag honored by active-duty troops in uniform.
Finally, the announcer invited the crowd to stand for the singing of the national anthem and I rose to my feet with 35,000 other people. Then, to my surprise, the announcer explained that the national anthem would be performed by us—the crowd. It would be a sing-a-long.
A sing-a-long?
I was shocked and disappointed and somewhat beside myself. What were they thinking?
Here we were, opening day, a historic moment—and we were going to do a sing-a-long?
Now, I’m no Pavarotti or Elvis Presley or Robert Plant, but I know how to sing. I sang in bands since I was a kid and I know that singing is not easy—in fact—singing is very difficult. It is challenging to stay in tune and tough to get the right timing and to hit the right notes.
And to think that 35,000 people were going to be able to pull this off? I knew that people would sing too loud or too quiet. They would sing too high or too low. Some people wouldn’t even sing at all—and many that would sing are completely tone-deaf.
So I didn’t think there was a chance this crowd would be able to hit the right rhythm and the right pitch and achieve the proper level of clarity.
And I was right—at least for a moment.
As the giant jumbotron began to scroll the lyrics and people began to sing, it was just what I expected: some voices were too high, some too low, some too quiet, some too loud. Some were off pitch and some completely off tempo.
But quickly, after a few bars, the voices started to blend together.
The low voices were balanced by the high ones. The quiet voices were bolstered by the loud ones. Out-of-tune notes were leveled out by people singing perfectly on pitch.
And, as I sang myself, I also heard it.
I heard this mass of people, people from every background, people of every size, shape, color, and creed, people with a wide variety of contrasting and conflicting voices.
As I heard them sing—the sum of their voices—harmonized and it sounded better than I had ever imagined it could.
That group of 35,000 individuals singing together was as good as I had ever heard that song.
Now: it was not perfect—but those imperfections gave it soul. They made the song human.
Every individual, doing their share, gave our national anthem a unique but unified identity.
An identity that—though not perfect—was absolutely amazing.
Just like this great country.
We have the voices of many people—some quiet, some loud.
Some rich, some poor.
Some left, some right, some center.
Some angry, some happy.
Some working hard and some hardly working.
Some concerned—some care-free.
We are all different.
Some people like country, some heavy metal, and some soul…
Some like hip hop, some hardcore punk, and some rock and roll.
We are all individuals…
All free to sing our tune the way we want.
But together—even with all those differences—we are more alike than not.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE FOX NEWS OPINION
We are determined. We are tough. We are individualistic and optimistic. We will not be controlled and we will fight and die if necessary for our destiny—for our freedom.
You see: We are all American. This is our country.
And we are not perfect—and neither is America.
We hit some bad notes. Our pitch is sometimes too high, and sometimes too low. Our timing is not always perfect and our rhythm is sometimes off.
But—together—bonded only by the freedom our forefathers fought for, we sing an amazing song.
And America is absolutely amazing too.
God bless all you Americans.
Sing loud and sing proud:
This is the land of the free and the home of the brave.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Have a Happy Fourth of July.
And God bless America.
Former Bond girl reveals surprising secret to maintaining her teenage figure at 74
Jane Seymour has stayed in shape for decades without fad diets or marathon workout routines.
“I am now the size I was when I was 17 and a ballet dancer,” the 74-year-old actress told Fox News Digital.
“I try to stay around the same weight, but without going crazy about it. I have gotten bigger [over the years], but I never gained more than 10 pounds. I was smaller when I was in [1988’s] ‘War and Remembrance’ and when I was playing Wallis Simpson where I had to be crazy thin, which is not a healthy weight for me. It makes my immune system weak.”
JANE SEYMOUR TELLS WOMEN TO ACT THEIR AGE AND NOT TO ‘PRETEND TO BE 20 WHEN YOU’RE 70’
Even during moments of celebration, Seymour is mindful of her healthy habits. Earlier in June, it was announced that her detective show, “Harry Wild,” has been renewed for season 5 on Acorn TV. She’s also the host of “Relative Secrets,” a series that premiered earlier this month about uncovering family secrets and dark mysteries.
“I almost always never have breakfast,” the “Dr. Quinn” alum explained about her diet.
“I will have liquids and my vitamins. I’ve got this vitamin combination that has collagen. I’ll have that in the morning and either black tea, coffee or water. And then at lunchtime, I’ll have a fabulous meal, whatever I want pretty much. I tend to like salmon, shrimp and grilled vegetables. And I love Italian food. I might have a little eggplant Parmesan; it’s a favorite of mine. Maybe some lean chicken.”
The star said that the one thing she “almost never” eats is steak, but she does make exceptions.
“Once in a while, I’ll have a little bit of filet steak, maybe a couple of slices. I’m not against it. But I feel better usually when eating fish and lots of vegetables. I grow a lot of my food in my garden, a lot of it in pots actually… it keeps the bugs out. I have lettuce, arugula, artichokes, avocados, blueberries and strawberries. Also, lots of different types of kale. I love eating fresh vegetables. When I grill my vegetables, I add a little bit of olive oil and sometimes a sprinkle of salt.”
Like anyone else, Seymour has her guilty pleasures. She loves anything that’s “crunchy and salty.” To satisfy her cravings, she’ll eat “a crispy sweet potato.”
WATCH: MALIBU FIRES DROVE JANE SEYMOUR OUT OF HER HOME WITH BARELY MORE THAN THE CLOTHES ON HER BACK
“I feel like I’m eating a bag of chips, but it’s actually sweet potato,” said Seymour. “I also like to take raw pumpkin seeds, put a little bit of Tamari Lite [gluten-free soy sauce that has less sodium], put them in a non-stick pan and toast them. I like to toss them around in the pan until they swell and pop. Pistachio nuts are also a favorite go-to snack. So mostly, I make sure to eat my nutrients and vitamins in my food if I can.”
The former Bond girl also noted that it’s important for her to stay active daily. However, she listens to her body about what it needs each day.
“I work with a lady… it’s almost like physiotherapy, but it’s a workout. I do Gyrotonics and some Pilates – a lot of floor work, believe it or not, even though I’m on a bench. But everything I do, anyone else can do at home, in a hotel room, their living room, their garden – anywhere where you can put a yoga mat down. I do Pilates legwork, which is like doing some of my ballet. I can use my own weight or a ballet bar.”
“I’m also a believer in light weights,” she shared. “I’ll have an eight-pound or a five-pound weight in each hand. I’ll do arm work while I’m doing my legs. And the beauty of Pilates, Gyrotonics or even ballet is that it’s all about being able to do it properly. It’s not something where you rush in and jump around and can easily get injured.”
“I’m very careful about doing the right technique,” she said. “If I can’t do too much, if I can’t stretch too much that day, that’s fine. I just do as much as my body is comfortable doing because I don’t want to injure myself. I had back surgery a long time ago. That’s a nemesis for me. So I listen to my body.”
Seymour said she likes workouts that can be done anywhere, rather than heading to the gym. Pilates, in particular, has been essential to her for maintaining a strong core.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER
“If you have core strength, you are less likely to have back injuries or back problems,” she said. “You are also more likely to look better up close. You’ll be able to stand more properly… The core is everything. And looking back at my ballet training, that was all about the core.”
In between filming “Harry Wild,” it’s not shocking to spot Seymour doing plies or stretching.
“Small movements make a huge difference,” she said. “Also, the muscle at the front of the leg is incredibly important to stretch out very carefully, especially if you run, walk a lot, or you’re climbing. That muscle tightens up, and it directly affects your lower back.”
In 1995, Seymour was tempted to get a tummy tuck after welcoming twin boys. However, the idea of going under the knife made her pause.
“I just thought, ‘No, that’s major surgery,’” she recalled. “I thought, let’s try doing what I used to do, my workout routines. I’ll see if I can get my muscles toned. I’m not trying to look like a 20-year-old. I’m just trying to be the most mobile that I can be for my age and what my body’s capable of.”
According to Seymour, it’s never too late to try a workout routine that suits your lifestyle.
LIKE WHAT YOU’RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
“I’ve never been able to do the split, so I’m not going to start now,” she chuckled. “I almost did it on ‘Dancing With the Stars,’ and that was pretty amazing. But for me, it’s all about building and maintaining a good, strong core. A lot of younger people are on computers and cell phones. And I think everyone sits and hunches. That’s a big issue because it can affect your neck, shoulders, mid-back and spine. So stretching each day and having a straight spine is huge.”
The actress said she’s grateful to get up and move each day.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“I think a lot of women suffer from being invisible,” she said. “You were married, you had the job, and you had kids. But now, who am I? What’s my purpose? Where do I belong in this world? But… you can be a full-blooded human being at any age… It’s a choice you make for yourself.”